I’m a fan of pretty much anything that comes out of The Stage Door Theater.

I appreciate the philosophy behind The Stage Door and how its masterminds, Kerry and Brodie Perry, don’t focus on the final product as much as the journey that takes them there. The Stage Door teaches performers how to perform focusing on the overall artist and the requisite skills.

That’s why I was intrigued by The Stage Door’s inaugural singing competition, Southern Utah Vocal Edge. I knew it would be an event where the participants learned more about themselves and their talents, resulting in an entertaining finale concert.

And that’s exactly what we got Saturday night at the Electric Theater in St. George, where The Stage Door is the resident company. Leading up to that evening’s performances, all the contestants in Vocal Edge had gone through two days of workshops, performances and preliminary rounds. That left seven finalist in three categories to compete for the top prizes.

First up was the youth category, which included all performers age 12 and younger. Emma Iverson immediately wowed us with her performance of “Memory” from “Cats.” She has an impressive range for such a young singer, hitting some pretty low notes.

Next, Lilly Mae Stover gave an adorable performance of “Quiet” from the musical “Matilda.” She even added a bit of movement, evidence of an actress in the making.

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Lainee McDonald was a finalist in the teen category Saturday night at the Southern Utah Vocal Edge Singing Competition at the Electric Theater in St. George.(Photo: Brian Passey / The Spectrum & Daily News)

The teen category from ages 13-17 had three finalists. Up first was Lainee McDonald, who recently appeared in St. George Musical Theater’s production of “The Wedding Singer.” Her performance was vocally powerfully with a strong soulful blues vibe.

Then Cameron Holdaway sang “Someday” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” hitting some nice high clear notes along the way.

Rounding out the teen category, Jenna Gardner took on a Pink song and delivered it with some absolutely beautiful vocals, showing her range without ever over-singing.

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Baily Carter was a finalist in the adult category Saturday night at the Southern Utah Vocal Edge Singing Competition at the Electric Theater in St. George.(Photo: Brian Passey / The Spectrum & Daily News)

In the adult category, Nick Rice started off with a soulful take on “The House of the Rising Sun.” It’s an intense song to begin with but she brought an even greater power to the tune.

The final finalist was Baily Carter performing the standard “Feeling Good.” He accented his smooth vocals with the occasional growl and entertained us with a bit of dancing throughout.

After the initial performances, Kerry Perry introduced the preliminary judges, which included James Royce Edwards of Tuacahn fame. He then performed what would be the funniest moment of the night, singing a bacon-themed version of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” while dressed as a piece of bacon. Absurd? Yes. Funny? Oh, yes.

Kerry then introduced the finale judges, each of whom performed for the audience. First up was Dean Kaelin, vocal coach to David Archuleta and SHeDAISY among others.

Kaelin performed the fun “Lost in the Masquerade” before composing a couple of numbers on the spot based on a numerical code. It was easily one of the more musically impressive moments of the night.

Carmen Rasmusen Herbert, a sixth place finalist on “American Idol,” was the next judge to perform. She sang her Nashville single “Nothin’ Like the Summer,” which is about the summer she met her husband. Then she did an entertaining cover of Shakira’s “Try Everything.”

The final finale judge was Bradley Quinn Lever from the vocal trio GENTRI. After a big performance of “Out There” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” he joined Brodie Perry for a wonderful rendition of “Lily’s Eyes” from “The Secret Garden.”

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Emma Iverson was a finalist in the youth category Saturday night at the Southern Utah Vocal Edge Singing Competition at the Electric Theater in St. George.(Photo: Brian Passey / The Spectrum & Daily News)

Then it was time to hear from the finalists again. Lilly Mae returned for a cute take on “The Girl I Mean to Be” from “The Secret Garden” while Emma’s pretty voice aimed high with Mariah Carey’s “Hero.”

In the teen category, Jenna dropped a stunning take on Jewel’s “Foolish Games” that was even stronger and prettier than the original. It was simply captivating — a mix of both sweetness and power.

Meanwhile Lainee offered up an emotional take on Kodaline’s “All I Want,” showing off some nice qualities to her voice, which has strength but also manages to hit on some wonderful little subtleties.

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Cameron Winward was a finalist in the teen category Saturday night at the Southern Utah Vocal Edge Singing Competition at the Electric Theater in St. George.(Photo: Brian Passey / The Spectrum & Daily News)

Then Cameron’s crystal clear vocals returned for David Archuleta’s “Glorious,” showing off some surprising strength.

In the adult category, Baily gave us a charming take on another standard, “Dream a Little Dream of Me." And finally, Nick’s powerhouse vocals ended the contest with another intense performance.

While the judges were making their decision, St. George Mayor Jon Pike spoke briefly, praising all the contestants for having the guts to perform. He then thanked The Stage Door for events like this that help to build community.

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Jenna Gardner won both the teen category and the grand prize Saturday night at the Southern Utah Vocal Edge Singing Competition at the Electric Theater in St. George.(Photo: Brian Passey / The Spectrum & Daily News)

Edwards returned to the stage for a final performance, again revisiting the 1980s for a passionate take on “Lady in Red.” A few couples, including Mayor Pike and his wife, Kristy, got up and slow-danced to the tune.

Finally the results arrived and Brodie announced Lilly Mae, Jenna and Nick as the winners in their respective age divisions with Jenna taking home the grand prize, which includes a recording session at Spiral Studios in St. George and a professional photography package.

Going in, I expected The Stage Door to deliver. And they did. I’m also going to be watching Jenna Gardner for great things in the future. I’m guessing the grand prize at Southern Utah Vocal Edge is just the beginning for her.

James Royce Edwards, known for his roles at Tuacahn, performs a bacon-themed version of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” Saturday night at the Southern Utah Vocal Edge Singing Competition at the Electric Theater in St. George.(Photo: Brian Passey / The Spectrum & Daily News)